U.S. President Donald Trump arrives with Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh for the latter’s inauguration ceremony at the White House, in Washington, D.C., United States, on May 22, 2026. (Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
With the November midterm elections approaching, U.S. President Donald Trump is struggling to find the right way to reassure voters about the U.S. war in Iran, which is dragging on and could bring an unacceptable economic cost. The war and global energy shock it triggered are increasingly becoming an issue in U.S. domestic politics.What is most striking is that Trump has not really adjusted his pressure campaign on Iran to address his electoral vulnerability. Instead, as the economic costs persist, he has gradually shifted his political message to justify them, explain why they have lasted longer than expected and, more recently, shift the blame elsewhere.In early August, the U.S. president was still portraying the war’s economic impact as temporary. On Aug. 4, he openly acknowledged the electoral dimension: “For the midterm elections,...
With the November midterm elections approaching, U.S. President Donald Trump is struggling to find the right way to reassure voters about the U.S. war in Iran, which is dragging on and could bring an unacceptable economic cost. The war and global energy shock it triggered are increasingly becoming an issue in U.S. domestic politics.What is most striking is that Trump has not really adjusted his pressure campaign on Iran to address his electoral vulnerability. Instead, as the economic costs persist, he has gradually shifted his political message to justify them, explain why they have lasted longer than expected and, more recently, shift the blame elsewhere.In early August, the U.S. president was still portraying the war’s economic impact as temporary. On Aug. 4, he openly acknowledged the electoral dimension: “For the midterm...
